Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The Assistant Homeroom Teacher During Homeroom

Even after returning home, Kana remained well-behaved.

Toru felt a sense of gratitude towards Hiyori, who lived on the other side of the wall, thinking that Kana wouldn’t have been so cooperative without the promise of seeing her again.

And so, the day turned to Monday.

After dropping Kana off at nursery school, Toru headed to school.

“Morning, Toru. Long time no see.”

“Long time no see, Yusei.”

Toru arrived at his classroom, 2-1, and was greeted by his friend, Tatsumine Yusei.

They had become friends after sitting next to each other at the beginning of their first year, and they would casually chat whenever they saw each other.

Yusei had short black hair and sharp eyes that complemented his handsome face. He was also the ace of the basketball club, making him very popular with the girls.

However, he seemed uninterested in dating, focusing solely on basketball.

Following Toru, Yusei also sat down in the seat in front of him.

“Coming to school ten minutes before class starts means you dropped your sister off again today, huh?”

“My dad leaves early in the morning, and since the nursery school is on the way to school, it’s easiest for me to take her.”

“And you do that every day. Anyone would say you’re a great older brother.”

“Thanks to that, the nursery school teachers now know my face and name.”

Toru replied flatly to Yusei’s teasing tone.

At first, he had felt nervous and out of place, but after a month, he was completely used to it.

“What are you doing after school today?”

“I’m going to pick up Kana after class.”

“I knew it! Can’t be helped with a little sister, huh.”

“I appreciate the invitation, but with my lack of practice and all, I’ll have to pass on club activities for now.”

Yusei leaned back and groaned upon hearing Toru’s response.

Toru chuckled at his exaggerated reaction and added gently.

He often couldn’t join club activities or hang out with friends because he had to take care of his sister.

He had never regretted it, but it still pained him to repeatedly turn down invitations like this.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it. Toru’s siscon tendencies aren’t anything new.”

“Who’s a siscon?”

Toru, feeling slightly guilty for Yusei’s teasing, smiled wryly.

Just as their conversation was winding down…

“Good morning. Toru, Yusei. Long time no see.”

“Good morning, Shiomi.”

“Morning, Ninasawa-chan.”

The girl who greeted them was their classmate, Ninasawa Shiomi, characterized by her fluffy bobbed reddish-brown hair.

Unlike Yusei, Toru had been friends with her since middle school.

Even with minimal makeup, she possessed striking beauty, and her cheerful and friendly personality made her popular among their peers.

“Toru, how’s Kana doing?”

“She’s doing great. This morning, she was even rushing me to go to nursery school early.”

“Ahaha. You complain, but your face says you don’t mind at all.”

“She’s my adorable little sister. Of course, I’m happy when she’s full of energy.”

Shiomi smiled at Toru’s proud declaration.

Yusei, who had been listening to their conversation, muttered under his breath, “That’s why people call you a siscon.”

“I’m so jealous. A cute little sister like Kana. My little brother is so cheeky, he calls me, this beautiful onee-san, an old hag.”

“Kana was a handful during her rebellious phase too. Even now, she calls me To-kun instead of ‘onii-chan’.”

“Wow. As an only child, that sounds like a whole other world to me.”

Yusei expressed his slight envy as the two with siblings shared their experiences.

In the midst of their friendly conversation, the first bell signaling the start of class rang throughout the school.

Following their other classmates, Yusei and Shiomi returned to their seats.

“Alright everyone, are you in your seats? Let’s start the homeroom after Golden Week~”

Soon after everyone took their seats, the class’s homeroom teacher arrived.

And Hiyori, the assistant homeroom teacher, was quietly waiting by the classroom entrance.

All of their classmates were focused on the homeroom teacher standing at the podium, and it was doubtful whether anyone even noticed Hiyori’s presence.

The fact that he was now paying attention to her, when he usually wouldn’t have given her a second thought, was undoubtedly because he had seen her in a private setting.

‘…Yeah, she really does look like a different person.’

He propped his chin on his hand and thought to himself, as if he had just woken up from a dream.

As expected, Hiyori at school had her black hair tied back in a tight bun, wore glasses, and was dressed plainly in a light green blouse and a white long skirt.

This was the image of her as a teacher that Toru was accustomed to seeing.

Looking at her again, her appearance was so different from the neat and beautiful woman he saw yesterday that it was hard to believe they were the same person at first glance.

But there was no doubt that both were Tsukishiba Hiyori.

And even though her work attire was plain, if you looked closely, you could see her well-defined features.

Her straight posture hinted at a politeness that wouldn’t cause any discomfort.

Although she didn’t have any flashy appeal at first glance, once you noticed her, she had a certain charm that you couldn’t look away from.

The fact that he had stepped into her home and spent some time there, even with his sister, made Toru’s heart flutter slightly.

While most of his classmates and even Hiyori herself were listening to the homeroom teacher, Toru couldn’t take his eyes off her as she stood to the side.

“!”

“Ah.”

Perhaps noticing his gaze, Hiyori turned to look at Toru.

Her ocean-blue eyes widened, as if she hadn’t expected to see him there.

However, soon after, without averting her gaze from him, she raised a slender index finger and smiled.

—Don’t get distracted, okay?

It was as if she was cautioning him with those words.

“!”

Witnessing her gesture, Toru’s mind momentarily went blank.

Then, as if to fill the void, an indescribable emotion welled up within him, causing his cheeks to flush red.

“Hey, Kuwa! Save the thoughts that are more fun than the teacher’s talk for later~”

“Eek!? I-I’m so sorry…”

Called out by his languid homeroom teacher, Toru apologized, feeling as shocked as if cold water had been poured on him.

A few stifled laughs escaped from within the classroom at Toru’s pathetic state, but he was too busy desperately trying to calm his pounding heart, overwhelmed with embarrassment and confusion.

After managing to somewhat compose himself, he glanced at Hiyori while keeping his head down.

“Fufu…”

She chuckled, covering her mouth with her hand, as if to say, “I told you so.”

It seemed she couldn’t help but laugh.

‘Oh man, I messed up…!’

Seeing her reaction, Toru was overcome with even more embarrassment than when he was reprimanded by his homeroom teacher.

Even though he knew it was his own fault, being laughed at by Hiyori, the cause of his distraction, was unbearable.

He quickly lowered his head to hide his flushed face, but it was already too late; he had become the laughingstock of the class.

Amidst the burning shame, Hiyori’s smile was etched into Toru’s mind.

Her smile, which he was sure no one else had seen, made his heart race uncontrollably.